Beautiful Coastal Sightseeing Tour of Barbados

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Duration7 hours

DepartsTraveler pickup is offered

Tour description provided by Viator

Barbados is an island of great beauty and diversity. Enjoy a scenic sightseeing tour and visit many special places along the shoreline that make Barbados the gem of the Caribbean. The route will take you north, south, east and west, as you discover the great beauty of the Barbados!

ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Barbados Garrison, Bridgetown, Saint Michael Parish, BarbadosThe Garrison Historic Area From 1655 large fleets of British ships and soldiers were visiting and Barbados making it there base of operation. In the early years there were no barracks for them or provisions, the care and expense of the officers fell in the hands of Barbadians themselves. After repeated visits this became quite burdensome especially considering it was at a time when the island was quite impoverished. The legislature of Barbados was moved to petition the British government for a permanent garrison to be built on the island. It was not until 1780 that it was finally decided by the British Government to station a permanent garrison on the island. It was eventually decided that the Garrisons should be built near Charles Fort and St Anne’s Castle. 16 acres were purchased in 1789 and construction began by the early 19th century most of the buildings had been completed and had grown to cover 64 acres. The Garrison in Barbados is in fact the largest in the Caribbean.Many of the buildings were constructed of London brick brought out as ballast in ships which returned with sugar. Some 60 of the original buildings are still in existence today. The Savannah of itself was a very rocky area where many crabs lived. It had to be filled in and leveled for the troops to practice on. It was also the birthplace of cricket in Barbados and today serves as the islands racetrack.On November 30th 1966 Barbados was led into Independence by the then Premier Errol Walton Barrow, officially celebrating the achievement of nationhood as a sovereign and independent state within the CommonwealthDuration: 10 minutesStop At: Enterprise (Miami) Beach, Oistins, Christ Church Parish, BarbadosMiami Beach, Barbados, near the town of Oistins, is a popular sandy beach in Barbados. It is located on the south coast of the island, with usually calm waters and brilliant sunset views. On its north side is Enterprise Beach, a much more sheltered bay popular with families.Duration: 20 minutesStop At: Foul Bay, Saint Philip Parish, BarbadosSome say the name “Foul Bay” was given to this beautiful beach because up to the mid-1950s fishermen used to sell their catch on Foul Bay Beach. The fish was de-scaled and gutted on the spot. The smell was foul, hence the name. Others say Foul Bay it is an adaptation of the original name Fowl Bay which itself originated from the large number of migrating birds that once nested in a swamp located in the area.Foul Bay was the location where the famous Harp Gun was off loaded from a ship and then transported to its location at Paragon. Train tracks were laid to aid in transporting the gunDuration: 15 minutesStop At: Bathsheba Beach, Bathsheba, Saint Joseph Parish, BarbadosBathsheba is located on the Eastern coastline of Barbados. It is said that this area was named after the wife of King David whose name was “Bathsheba”. Legend has it that she bathed in milk to keep her skin beautiful and soft, and the rolling surf waters of Bathsheba’s “Soup Bowl” resembled Bathsheba’s bath. The area is popular with surfers. It is a popular area for locals and visitors alike and is dotted with several seaside cottages.Duration: 20 minutesStop At: Codrington College, Saint John Parish, BarbadosChristopher Codrington III (1668-1710), was the son the Governor General of the Leeward Islands. He spent most of his boyhood at Consetts, the site of the present College. Christopher Codrington III went to England where studied at Oxford University. He served in the Army for sometime before returning to the Leeward Islands to succeed his father as Governor General. His policy of helping the poor whites and slaves brought him into disfavor of the plantocracy. Consequently, he gave up the position of Governor and retired at Consetts in St John. Christopher Codrington III, died on Good Friday 1710. In his will he had left to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel the estates at Society and Consetts. One of his instructions was that his finances were to be used to fund a number of professors who were to teach medicine, surgery and divinity. Codrington's desire to Christianize the slaves was rejected by the Barbadian plantocracy, who opposed teaching the slaves how to read and write. It was only in 1790 when the anti-slavery movement in England exerted pressure on the Anglican Church and the SPG that this began to change. The construction of the College got under way in 1715. Economic depression, drought and other difficulties having caused further delays, the College was officially opened in 1745 The College served to prepare young Barbadians for entry into the two Universities in England - Oxford and Cambridge. Later on the College began to offer tertiary education, and was affiliated to the University of Durham It was in 1830 that the College began training candidates exclusively for ordination. The college has been damaged by hurricanes and fires that left only the walls of some buildings standing. It has closed repaired and reopened several times throughout the years.Today Codington College offers strictly theological studies. Duration: 25 minutesStop At: St. John's Parish Church, Saint John Parish, BarbadosAccording to the Anglican tradition, worship has been conducted on this spot since 1645. The first building, a wooden structure, was destroyed by fire in 1676 and replaced by a stone structure. Following the hurricanes of 1780 and 1831, the current building was constructed in 1836.Fernando Paleologus,a former church warden and planter was buried under the choir when he died in 1670. He was buried with his head pointing to the west and the body embedded in quicklime in accordance with the Greek Orthodox custom. Following the hurricane of 1831 his tomb was moved to the churchyard. Paleologus was a descendent of the brother of the great Emperor Constantine XI He fled to Barbados after his family was driven from the throne of Constantinople by the TurksDuration: 25 minutesStop At: Animal Flower Cave, Saint Lucy Parish, BarbadosWe visit North Point Barbados for the great views and a great Lunch at the Cave Restaurant. The Animal Flower Cave is also located at North Point But the entrance fees to the cave are not included in this tour the lunch however is. Dutring the Months of Dec to April Humpback whales migrate through the Caribbean. North Point is one of the popular viewing sights. Duration: 1 hourPass By: Speightstown PierThe town was at one point called Little Bristol because of it's trading links with Bristol England Larger ships always sailed into Speightstown because they could not get into Bridgetown until the deepwater harbor was constructed. They would load their cargo on to smaller ships that would then deliver to Bridgetown.Sprightstown is also the port that many slaves in the triangular slave trade first sailed into. Arlington House now serves as a museum but was once a make shift clinic for slaves who often arrived on the island ill due to the horrid conditions they endured on the Atlantic crossingJust North of Speightstown is Almond Hotel. This was once the Heywood’s sugar Plantation and was one of the locations used in the filming of the Tamarind Seed with Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. Another was the old Paradise Hotel Pass By: Holetown Beach, Holetown, Saint James Parish, BarbadosHoletown is the site of the first British settlement on the island. On May the 14th 1626 Captain John Powell was the first Englishman to encounter Barbados. He along with his crew was in fact on their way from Brazil when the trade winds blew their ship the "Olive Blossom" into Barbados. On arrival to the Island, The Captain sent some men to the shore. They wrote the words James K of E on a tree and named the area James's town (Jamestown). Today Jamestown is called Holetown because the river outlet in the area reminded them of an area called "The Hole" in the Thames River in England.It was said that the first institution the English established in a new colony was a drinking house. The Spaniards and Church and the Dutch a fort. In Holetown there are two historic ChurchesPass By: Lord Nelson StatueAdmiral Nelson Statue In 1803 war broke out with the French and Spanish siding together against Britain. Admiral Nelson was seen as a savior at this time. After a dramatic announcement of the Trafalgar victory and news of his death reached the island A bronze statue of Nelson was erected in the area then renamed Trafalgar square. This statue is older than the one of Nelson in Trafalgar square in the UK Pass By: Glory Tours, Bridgetown, Saint Michael Parish, BarbadosTour Operator

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